The Denver Nuggets‘ biggest move of their most recent offseason of roster tweaks was that of their trade to acquire forward Cam Johnson from the Brooklyn Nets to ship out Michael Porter Jr.— a big shake-up to the starting lineup that adds another layer of versatility and two-way ability into the frontcourt.
But through his first two preseason games sample size in a Nuggets uniform, Johnson wound up remaining relatively quiet.
In the midst of Denver’s 1-1 stretch vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves and Toronto Raptors, he’s averaged 6.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in a little over 15 minutes a night, shooting a collective 1/5 from three.
Of course, it’s just preseason, so there’s nothing to sound the alarms over just yet. But before the real action gets underway later this month, Nikola Jokic made sure to provide some insight to Johnson behind the scenes for how he can build some momentum moving forward rolling into the regular season: just be yourself.
“I told him, ‘Don’t try to fit in,” Jokic said of his message to Johnson. “You’re a really important part of this offense. Be yourself… Just play your game and be aggressive in the moment or in the role you’re given.”